DIY Retailer Clothing Repair Secrets

ByKim Anderson
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Amazon affiliate noteThere are so many great fashion fixes and clothing care tricks that I learned while working in an upscale women’s clothing store that I thought I would pass them along to you.  When you work in a world of high-end clothes and limited quantities you have to be prepared to fix little flaws caused by customers trying on the items so you can sell the them and avoid damaging them out.  These clothing fixes has saved many of my favorite garments from being donated after I nicked, smeared or stained them.  Working in the store also helped me understand how to fold and store my clothing in a neater and less frustrating way.  Hope these quick tips help you too.

1. The Snag Nab-it

  • This is a miracle worker and something every single woman should own.
  • It’s a needle that has a jagged end (similar to a file).
  • When you snag a sweater, blouse or any other type of clothing, you simply insert the needle straight through the snag down into the fabric and pull the thread through to the inside.
  • It snags, nabs and pulls the loose threads through returning your garment to its previous state of looking undamaged.
  • The Dritz(R) Snag Nab-It Tool For Knits can be bought online at Amazon or at craft stores like Hobby Lobby for $2.50-$7.
Snag Nabit closeup
Snag Nab-it close up
How It Works
How It Works

2. Deodorant Marks

  • Have you ever put on a dark shirt in hurry and freaked out because you got deodorant all over the outside?
  • If you keep a piece of foam handy you can simply rub the dry piece of foam over the deodorant marks and they should dust right off.  I keep a piece of foam stored in my deodorant drawer.foam

3. Perfect Folding

  • If you are really OCD about folding clothes all you need to get a perfect fold is a legal size clip board.
  • If you don’t have a legal size clip board grab a large piece of sturdy cardboard, foam-board or a Christmas gift shirt box like me!
Shirt fold 1
1. Button shirt front and then lay shirt out flat button side down. Lay legal size gift box, cardboard or clip board just below shirt collar on back.
shirt fold 2
2. Fold shirt sleeve across the back of the shirt keeping it snug and flat against the cardboard edges.
shirt fold 2
3.Fold the sleeve back making it line up perfectly with the edge of the box and the shirt.
shirt fold 3
4. Repeat Step 2 on opposite side.
shirt fold 4
5. Repeat step 3 on opposite side.
shirt fold 5
6. Grab the bottom of the shirt and end of sleeves, keeping them together and fold upward until they are snug against the bottom of the box.
shirt fold 6
7. Your shirt should be snugly folded around all edges of the box.
Shirt Fold 7
8. Slide cardboard out carefully.
shirt fold 8
9. Step back and admire your perfectly folded shirt!

4. Stains-

  • This tip I actually got from my mother-in-law.
  • If you always have a small pack of Wet One’s brand wipes there is a good bet that you will always be able to treat a stain fast and effectively.  I use these a lot for makeup stains.  I recommend testing the wipe on an inconspicuous spot of your clothing first in case they cause fading or discoloration on your garment.  I have never had a problem with them discoloring my clothing.  They are an inexpensive quick fix for me.

5. Fuzzy Fabric Balls On Clothes

  • Some types of fabrics begin to “ball” up in places when worn regularly.
  • These fabric balls tend to appear on clothing in areas of high friction like arm pits or places where you purse or backpack rub.
  • One of the best tools I found for taking these off are sweater buzzers.  They are little handheld shavers that turn on and rub around in the area and it “shaves” off the little balls.
  • You can usually find the at stores like Walmart or online.

I hope some of these offer you some fashion fixes.  Please share any fashion fix secrets you know of in the comments section below!